Blackpool boss reflects on defeat to Northampton Town

Blackpool Gazette

Steve Bruce shares his thoughts after Blackpool's 1-0 defeat to Northampton Town.

Transcript

00:00Do you feel like there was a cohesion in certain areas still where it's just not quite clicking?

00:04No, not today. I've seen a very, very good team today. Apart from the first five minutes,

00:10I thought we were excellent. As I said, we had to ride a great save by the goalie in the first

00:16two, three minutes, I have to say. We had two big opportunities just after that. I've seen them

00:24make me a very good side today. The last two weeks have been on the training run,

00:28we could see how we worked. We were a threat going forward. That bad goal away and that bad

00:34piece of defending is something, unfortunately, you can't coach. It's a couple of individual errors.

00:41Missed two tackles. Obviously, two weeks that you said to build me up to this,

00:44is that just for disappointment that both similar errors that we've seen before I've

00:47crept in, similar problems that we've ever had crept in? Look, since I've been here, since I've

00:52been here, we've been very, very good at going forward. Last year in particular, we were a real

00:57thread going forward. That's why two of them have ended up playing in the Championship,

01:01three of them have ended up playing in the Championship. Going forward, there's never

01:07been a problem. The goals against is our biggest Achilles heel and something we have to try and

01:14put right. As I said, how do you coach missing a tackle? Missing two tackles and every mistake we make,

01:23unfortunately, in this particular moment, we get punished for. Obviously, you're pleased with

01:28performance. Obviously, you've got more or less everyone available apart from the public,

01:30so that makes it a lot more frustrating, Matt. We're really, really frustrated. Yeah,

01:35that's the right word, frustrated, because as I said, we were the better team by far today. If you were

01:39Newton sitting there, you would think we're going to win the game all day long. That's the way I felt.

01:43I thought, if we can score, if we can score, then it's going to be a good afternoon for us.

01:49Obviously, the way it goes on for that second win of the season, does it become harder and harder to

01:53get that once it goes on? Of course, we have to believe what we're doing, stick together.

01:59We know the nonsense will surround us, that's football, and when you haven't won with the

02:03expectation of what we've got and the players that we've got here, then we have to accept what's

02:08coming, stay together as a group, stay strong with it and win next week. How do you keep the fans

02:14on side? Obviously, we've made some tough trips this season, early start today and might be rewarded.

02:18Since I've walked through the door here, they've been nothing but spectacular towards the way they

02:23support the club. We're as disappointed as I'm sure they are at the moment, but where there was a

02:30complete optimism and there was a lot of optimism this summer too, unfortunately we haven't got the

02:36results. I can see today though, again, with the addition of the two that we signed on deadline day,

02:42to give us that natural width which we've always been wanting to play with and the way we want to work,

02:48and they were a complete threat today.

02:51Fans might not like to share the same optimism at the moment as obviously you after the game,

02:55but it was a message just to try to keep your faith.

02:56Yeah, absolutely. We've got to be big boys, we know what's coming. I'll stay with it. As I said,

03:04as I said, we've played well today. We haven't really played at all this season. We've dug in

03:11against Huddersfield, had spells in my first game of the season, but today I've seen more like it,

03:16of what we're trying to achieve, and with a bit more luck, we could have won the match.

03:20A number of players dropped out of the matchday squad, Tom Blockson played the most notable,

03:24so is there any injuries? No, I was not injured. I had that horrible one where I had to leave three

03:29behind, but that's always the awful part of management, but I think the players know and

03:37realise that we've got to have a squad of players, and when everybody's fit apart from Hubby,

03:43then if Hubby was fit, then I'd be leaving four behind, and that's even worse. I can't understand why

03:50we can't have nine subs like the Championship does. I don't know if the Championship does,

03:55does it? The Championship does, does it? In the Premier League. I can't understand why we don't

04:00have that when you're trying to keep the squad happy, but I'm not here to plead about that.

04:05Is it even harder with someone like Blockson, obviously he's only young and he's shown what

04:08he can do and he started last year? All of them are young, all of them are young,

04:11Zach and Andy and him, they're young players who are just learning their trade and they're difficult,

04:17but that's my job, I have to disappoint a few. Tuesday night, change of competition,

04:21can we expect the rotation from yourselves? Yeah, we'll need some who need to play,

04:26but we'll be strong, that's for sure, and we'll get ready for the Cup. So there's going to be like

04:30Zach Ashworth, Andy Lions, who haven't got the maven minutes, they've never gone to so far.

04:34Yeah. And can we expect any academy players as well, any of the young teenagers, obviously,

04:38spending the night. Yeah, there'll be one or two, that's for sure. Last year, we let one or two come

04:43into the squad, that'll be happening. We'll see where we are tonight, we'll see what we've got

04:48in terms of injuries over the weekend, and yeah, but there'll be one or two, that's for sure.

04:52Is it a tough balance in terms of trying to be competitive at competition and rotate and

04:56making sure everyone gets four minutes? Well, it's an easy one really, because the ones

05:00who didn't play today need to play, so it's a good in that respect.

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